The Malaysian Insider :: Food
The Malaysian Insider :: Food |
| Food to Woo from chef with panache Posted: 05 Feb 2014 06:35 PM PST Thick slices of salmon belly are fanned out at the bottom. A shower of crackers, then sesame, oil and a strawberry sauce and the Yee Sang is all ready for the tossing. The taste is fresh, the flavours light and well tuned. It could be a Western salad, except for the hoi lung yue or sea dragon fish, which is also known as pipe fish, and the crackers, and I like it. "Never trust a skinny chef," he once said, laughing. Of course, we trust him, this chef whose culinary skills got him invited in 2004 to the James Beard Tribute at the Rockefeller Center in New York where he cooked alongside celebrity chefs like Nobu Matsuhisa, David Thompson and Cheong Liew to raise funds to feed the city's elderly. I had it on the second day of Chinese New Year, and it was a "wow" moment slurping up the runny egg touched with the rich foie gras. I want to go back for more. But it will have to be soon as the restaurant will be closing at the end of this month. This and the shops in Chulan Square will be demolished to make way for a hotel. I haven't had a good roast pigeon for a long time. This Shatin pigeon had been marinated with garlic paste, then basted with malt sugar to produce that golden crispy skin on roasting. The meat was juicy and tender, with the complexity you would expect of pigeon. It was good. Diced fresh mango and strawberry gave another dimension to it. First, I had the flavourful meat on its own, then touched it with the wasabi sauce which gave it a desirable zingy lift. Mushrooms and a cherry tomato were the perfect pairing with the meat. I couldn't help thinking that another fish would have been so much better in the Steamed Live Garoupa with Petola and Bean curd Skin. The fish fillets, alternating with lush slices of petola or angled loofah, sat on soft steamed egg studded with bean curd skin. I enjoyed the mushy egg with the juicy petola, and the smooth bean curd skin. It's hot and peppery and the soup is almost milky, with a gelatinous mouth feel, from the seven hours of simmering pork bones. The stuffed, layered intestine and slices of pig's stomach in the soup topped with lots of chopped spring onion made it all so addictive. I had the soup with longevity noodles or mee sua, and it was so satisfying. Then a plate of small red berries was brought out, and another of cut limes, lemons, strawberries and grapefruit. We each had a berry, and minutes later tried eating a slice of lime, which miraculously turned sweet on our palate. These red berries are known as the miracle fruit or Synsepalum dulcificum, and they originate from West Africa. But Frankie had been planting these berries in his garden for the past three years. I thought the lime was simply divine because it tasted extra sweet and fragrant. I also liked the lemon and grapefruit too. The sweet effect on your tongue lasts an hour. For instance, in the RM998 menu you would get Salt Baked Iberico Spare Ribs, Braised Whole Abalone with Beancurd and Broccoli and Sea Prawns in Chinese Wine, among other dishes. I have had the Salt Baked Spanish Iberico Pork Ribs before, and you would be bowled over by the stirring aroma, the scrumptious meat you tear off the bone, using your hands – naturally! The meat is sweet in itself, seasoned with just salt, pepper and a little five spice powder before roasting. Gu Yue Tien has been around for the past 10 years. I'm sad to see it go, as those who are regulars there. Frankie, who used to be chef at Lai Ching Yuen at the Regent Kuala Lumpur, has decided to take a break, while keeping a lookout for another place to start anew. – February 6, 2014. Gu Yue Tien is located at Lot 5A, Chulan Square, Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Tel: 03-2148 0808. |
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